Well, continue like this and Daniel Farke's men may well have European nights back at Elland Road next season.

It has been over two decades now since Leeds were considered one of the best clubs in the country and slowly but surely, they are clawing themselves back.

They are third in the Premier League right now and their display against Newcastle United on Monday was their finest at this level arguably since the days of Mark Viduka, Lucas Radebe and Co.

Speaking of which, the modern-day Radebe looks to have been found in 2026.

How Lucas Radebe fought off adversity to steer Leeds to Europe

It is September 5th 1994. Leeds are a Premier League team and they have just announced the signing of two South African players for a combined bargain fee of just £250k. They went by the names of Phil Masinga and Lucas Radebe.

While the late Masinga didn't stick around at Leeds for very long, Radebe certainly did. He's a bonafide Elland Road icon, they certainly don't make 'em like this anymore, do they?

Masinga played for just two years at Leeds but Radebe enjoyed an 11 year stint in West Yorkshire and has gone down as one of the greats. His leadership was first-class, captaining the club to a third-placed Premier League finish under David O’Leary in 1999/00, while he was immensely humble. He had an enormous amount of humility. It's impossible to say a bad word about him.

Also vital to securing Champions League football, he has gone down as one of the greatest centre-backs in the club's history. However, Radebe certainly didn't find it easy at first. This story very nearly didn't play out in the way it did.

While playing in South Africa, Radebe was shot in the back. While the bullet avoided any major arteries and organs, he required major surgery.

As a result, he missed a match for the Kaizer Chiefs in which scouts from Besiktas had planned to watch him. It cost him a move to Turkiye but Leeds came calling and he never looked back.

That said, it wasn't straightforward for the defender at first in England. He struggled with the climate and with his surroundings. His debut was also a disaster, losing to Mansfield in front of a tiny crowd in the Coca-Cola Cup.

Then, when he suffered an ACL injury against Coventry City during his debut season, it went from bad to worse. Still, his reliance shone through and despite suffering a number of other big injuries during his time in England, he established himself as a legend.

The numbers behind Radebe's Leeds career

Come 2005, Leeds had just completed their opening season in the second tier having been relegated and after failing to achieve promotion at the first time of asking, Radebe left the club. He played just three times in the league throughout 2004/05.

All told, he played 262 times for the club, scoring three times. That appearance tally, however, does not tell the full story.

Injuries ravaged him of more playing time, not just suffering that ACL injury in 1996 but also sustaining a series of other knee and ankle problems.

In 2001, it looked as though he had broken his leg during a reserve match vs Sunderland but fortunately it was only ankle ligament damage.

As a consequence of those injuries, Radebe never actually had a season where he was ever-present but that mattered not for Leeds fans who simply adored him. That £250k deal alongside Masinga had turned out to be a masterstroke.

The new Radebe is now vital to Leeds' European hopes

In the present day, football is full of rash spending. Just this summer, Chelsea signed Morgan Rogers to the tune of £117m. Elliot Anderson moved to Manchester City for £116m.

Leeds haven't quite reached that level of finance just yet but they did spend a whopping £34.1m on giant centre-back Tarik Muharemovic from Italian side Sassuolo.

He may well go down as another Radebe once all is said and done. He's certainly had an impressive start to his career at Elland Road.

Still, that fee cannot be considered a bargain yet. Dominic Calvert-Lewin's move, however, can be.

Just over a year ago, Leeds signed Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer following his release by Everton. It was a move met with scepticism.

The England international had endured a series of injuries, much like Radebe really, scoring just 18 goals across his last four seasons for the Toffees.

Yet, he's fought off the doubters and become a crucial player for Leeds. His injury problems are behind him and he's certainly become their best bargain since Radebe joined over 30 years ago.

Last term, Calvert-Lewin scored 15 goals in 39 outings across all competitions. It was form that earned him an England re-call, while Farke even described him as "one of the best English strikers in the Premier League." It is hard to dispute that claim.

This season, with Leeds sat in third, the centre-forward is at it again. He has netted four goals in his opening six matches of the 2026/27 campaign.

Calvert-Lewin may not be up there with Viduka or Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink quite yet but if he can steer Leeds to continental football, he will no doubt be remembered alongside some of those names once he departs Yorskhire.

To sign a striker of this quality on a free has been game-changing for Leeds. Sure, their recruitment in other areas has been exceptional, but the most important thing for a newly promoted side when they arrive in the Premier League is to find a goalscorer.

In Calvert-Lewin, Leeds have found that and then some. He is undoubtedly their best bargain since Radebe.